i saw on another thread about someone buying 50 acres or so.... i have been in the market for a while now for something like 150 or so acres..... never thought about a smaller "ranch"..... but after seeing that fifty acre one with so much packed into it i got to thinking that a smaller property really makes sence... less upkeep not to mention less money.....
my question is can you get quality deer on a smaller property or do you need something with a larger buffer.... any input is welcome ..... thanks

I would like to think bigger is better but I shot my last deer on 10 acres of private property. The problem with anything less than 200 acres is unless you have cooprative neighbors managing deer is not going to happen. I think if you wanted to manage deer and truely meet goals and see your efforts pay offyou'd need at least 300 and some cooperation but if you just looking to hunt and see deer you don't need much.

How about 150 with everthing packed into 50 right in the middle

I'm sure you'll know when the right thing comes along..... depends on what your after quality or quanity.

If you can find 50 acres boardering public land, that raises the effective size of you property, or if you have 50 acres next to other people that manage their property well.

Not sure I completely agree with this one. My buddy and I have one spot we hunt that is only 13 acres and we passed many small 6s last year and only killed a few does and scrub bucks. We've already seen 4 shooter 8s...3 of which were wall worthy! It's all about the area you hunt and what/who is around it.

150 or 50 or 500 you are still going to have the majority of your bucks leave the property throughout the year and go where someone else could get after them. As far as just making appealing habitat that will tend to hold more deer, 50 is enough if done properly, but 150 is better because you have more room for various appealing things to deer. The big 3 as far as I am concerned are security, food, and water. Honestly, it has been my experience that security is #1 by far. They can travel at night for food and be back before light. If they feel safe, then they stick around.

I hunt on actually a lot less than 50 acres. BUT.....caveat is....I have a 15 acre tract in the middle of the actual 70 I hunt that no one hunts.....and over 200 that my hunting land abuts that is not huntable (legally). It's what makes my hunting land what it is........(huntingson is correct in my book).

Sure, but there's millions of public ground acres in huge tracts that you don't have to worry one wit about. Whytake on the hassle of owning one?Buying a piece and dealing with people who can't stay out is not my idea of living.

A friend owns a good piece of ground in a killer whitetail area of Ohio. No one really hunts it that knows anything although several do. He was in a neighboring town. While in a hunting store, he overheard the guys who runs the place making arrangements with a client to hunt HIS PLACE. I have personally run into belligerent idiots there. No permission at all. Her doesn't do anything because he fears they will burn the house down we use on the property.

No thanks not the way I want to live.

I'd rather hunt the right 50 acres, than the wrong 500! You can manage small tracts of land, you just have to do your homework. Provide year round food, cover, water and manage your buck to doe ratio, and you'll be well on your way to your own whitetail paradise!

Im not saying a small farm cant be excellent hunting, I know it can. If your going to get into serious QDM a larger farm that holds deer through out the season is easier but if you can get the neiboring land owners to get into the managment with you then the small farm is perfect. Like mentioned before the only problem with a small farm is the deer tend to leave and go to the neibors more so than a larger one. Once they do that all your time and hard work passing young bucks could be wasted. I hunt a 775 acre farm and still have deer go on to neiboring property but I also have deer that stick around all year which makes it easier to manage them.